No shortage of ambition at Turkish Airlines. Not resting on its laurels after striking a three-year sponsorship deal with European Champions League winners Barcelona, its reported that Turkish Airlines is also signing up as a new official sponsor for last year's beaten finalist Manchester United. The BBC is reporting that under the deal THY will replace another airline, AirAsia, as the team's official carrier (ironically AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes was separately in the running to takeover another premier league team, struggling West Ham United, but ultimately lost out - if you consider not buying a hugely in debt football club missing out). While the deal is still be formally announced, it appears a further sign of THY's intentions to be a global name, but might leave its CEO Temel Kotil (pictured here with the Barcelona scarf) with a tricky balancing act should there be a repeat of the final this year.
THY is far from alone in striking a sponsorship deal with an English Premier League club, with Emirates currently leading the airline fantasy football league stakes with Arsenal currently top of the table.
To find out about THY, which has continued to growth this year and remained profitable over the first nine months of last year, check out our cover interview with Temel Kotil from the summer of 2008
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